Departure Trail Mix Bars Recipe – The Kia Sorento Experience

by Mama Chocolate on December 12, 2011

Over Thanksgiving week, I was given the opportunity to drive around the new 2012 Kia Sorento. We drove it to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving and then I got to zip around in it all day Black Friday with my sister (who took the above pic,) and my sister-in-law.

We blasted Christmas music in the morning (at 5am!) to get us in the holiday mood over the sweet stereo system, and on the way home, we lifted our weary spirits with some laughs from a comedy program on the Sirius radio.

We own a big, beastly SUV, so one of the biggest joys of this car for me was the gas mileage. At 15mpg on our current car, gas takes up a big chuck of our budget, especially since we live 20 minutes from the nearest major town, 1.5 hours from church and almost 2 hours from my family: we do a lot of driving.

photo provided by Kia

The Kia Sorento gets about 27 mpg on the highway, which is downright amazing to me for a car of it’s size and functionality.

The carseat LATCH system was so awesome and made it way quicker to get our girls’ seats in and out, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the Sorento actually has three rows, seating a total of 7 people comfortably, and in style!

The back row folds down easily when you don’t need those seats, to make room for extra storage space, (super handy on Black Friday with all of our loot.)

So, what did the 2012 Kia Sorento inspire me to cook up?

The 2012 Kia Sorento has such a sleek body, lovely color options and beautiful leather interior that it’s very sweet on the eyes! Your little peanuts will be snug and safe in this ride! There are side impact airbags, the latch system in the middle row to firmly and securely install their car seats, along with a long list of other safety features, including many different lights to alert you if there is problem with the car itself.

With seating for 7, if you’re raisin’ a family, but don’t want to drive the “minivan” (my husband would die of mortification,) this is a great option! There is room in that back for strollers and you can still get your groceries in as well.

The Sorento is the perfect mix: it’s a family car, a sport utility vehicle, it’s safe and spacious, yet easy to step into and maneuver in tight traffic and parking spaces. You can also take it anywhere. With the All Wheel Drive feature, you can more safely take sharp corners, you can get up to the mountains to play in the snow, and if you live where it’s regularly snowy, you’ll still be able to get out to get to town or get your kids to school.

If the roads are clear, the 2 Wheel Drive is a smooth, easy ride no matter what your streets (or pot-holed gravel driveway,) are like. The leather makes a fast and easy clean-up if anything gets spilled, and if you’ve got kids in tow, occasional spills are a certainty.

Just like my trail mix bar, the 2012 Kia Sorento is perfect for the whole family!

The Departure Trail Mix Bar

Inspired by the the Kia Sorento…”a departure from the expected.”

1 cup honey

¼ cups peanut butter (I used chunky)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoons salt

1-½ cup rolled oats

½ cups oat bran

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

½ cup raisins

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cups roasted, salted sunflower seeds

½ cup roasted, salted peanuts, (chop them in a food processor first if you prefer)

½ cups chocolate chips, (I used dark chocolate chips, but you could also use semi-sweet)

Directions:

Mix together the honey, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Pour the hot honey mixture over the oat mixture and toss well. Finally, add the chocolate chips and quickly fold together. Be careful not to overmix: you do not want the chocolate completely melted.

Get your hands wet and immediately press mixture firmly into a greased 9-inch pan. Chill until firm and cut into bars.

The honey mixture does a great job holding all the ingredients together, so these bars are great for traveling and days on-the-go.

They’re easy to make ahead for a quick breakfast option for busy week day mornings or perfect as a quick afternoon pick-me-up snack.

Make up a batch of these and then go take a look at the what

the 2012 Kia Sorento and see what it has to offer you!

*Kia provided me with the opportunity to drive a 2012 Kia Sorento for one week and I was given a $50 gift card to purchase ingredients for my inspired recipe. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.

A friend’s mom used to have a Kia Sorento and they had nothing but great things to say about them! I’d LOVE to see/drive one of the new ones! I also love how you incorporated the recipe in with this – it goes together perfectly!!! The gas mileage is impressive. That’s a big thing we are taking into account when deciding what our next vehicle purchase will be. I’m itching for an SUV that is spacious but won’t break the bank with the cost of gas! We’ll definitely have to test drive one of these.Whitney @ Momma Knows Best recently posted..I Absolutely Love This!

OMGosh this is awesome, I love how you incorporated the KIA into the trail mix bars – how creative!! And until recently, I didn’t know that you could fit 7 into the KIA either… 3rd row is awesome!!Danielle @ We Have It All recently posted..“Around the House” Sugar Cookie Recipe

I love the car review + recipe — how fun! I am starting to like crossovers a lot. I drove one for a review from another brand and really enjoyed it. I guess having my older boys now it’s easier for me to have something like that rather than a minivan.Jenny @ Full Cart Full Wallet recently posted..Slow Cooker Challenge #5: Pepper Steak Recipe #slowcookerchallenge

We got the 2008 Sorento before Big Sis was born because the car seat was too hard to get in and out of my small car. Then there was a problem with the car so we took it in to be fixed (under waranty) but saw the 2012… Well, instead of fixing our “old” Kia, we came home in a new one! I LOVE my Kia Sorento!!!

This was a wonderful review that I think would make anyone want the new Sorento! It’s a blast to drive and easy to get everyone in and out of! And the Trail Mix Bars look DELICIOUS!! Yummy!!